13 Host & Hostess Gift Ideas

The event is fast approaching and you’re still not sure what to get them. Gifting is a tricky one especially when your host/ess already has it all. Be it a dinner party,  a gourmet tasting buffet, a cocktail party with DJ, an elegant do, or just an informal get together just for the fun of it, you don’t want either over/underwhelm them with a donum non grata. No point giving a pair of oven gloves to someone who has no time to cook or the same old tired bottle of wine and flowers to friends who are anything but conventional. Maybe it is the thought that counts, but being original counts more. Whatever the occasion, nailing the right gift can really put a smile of appreciation on their face and that definitely sets the scene for a great evening. 

Let’s take a look at twelve original gift suggestions with something for everyone’s taste and pocket. Whether you’ve got that special invitation or are simply visiting friends for a serious catch-up, these gifts are definite host pleasers. From big to small gift sets ideal for themed dinner parties or no fuss ready- to-serve cocktails,  these gifts cover useful, thoughtful, delicious and pampering depending on your host/ess’ taste.

13 Gift ideas perfect for dinner parties & visiting friends

The sky’s the limit for our top host/ess gift recommendations with plenty of choices starting from £50 and under to the big spender’s category. The trick is to gift something your host/ess can actually use and appreciate. 

Gifts under £50

1. Snazzy Drinks Tray to Prevent Oops Moments

 

A beautiful serving tray makes a practical and stylish gift for hosts who love to entertain but don't want to risk spilling the drinks when they have to carry more than two. Try one of these chic trays from Pavilion Broadway, especially the mirrored one, a nod to  Bauhaus chic.

2. Gourmet Food Basket for consummate snackers

Put together a basket of gourmet treats like artisanal chocolates, cheeses, nuts, or a selection of exotic jams and spreads or try The ultimate Irish Afternoon Tea Hamper from Gifts Direct with a selection of delicious Jams, Bewleys tea, cakes, biscuits and chocolates. Offer them an afternoon tea experience they can share over local gossip while sipping a classic tea and nibbling on homemade cake.

3. Customised Chopping Board for Show-Offs

Personalise a chopping  board with their name or a special message. It's both functional and sentimental. These G&T chopping boards from The Oak Chopping Board Co are perfect for cocktail party garnish preparation and showing those perfectly sliced lemons, oranges and limes in all their style.

4. Book Token for Those who’d rather be Reading

A Waterstones book token spans from £5 to £100, is really pretty and can be bought as either an e-card redeemable online or as a physical token you can use in-shop. This is the you-can’t-go-wrong with this gift that can be easily recycled if the host turns out more addicted to Netflix than Nietzsche.

5. Home Baking Kit for Cottage-Core Queens

Bake or prepare homemade cookies, brownies, or other treats and present them in a decorative tin or box or give them this homemade macaron kit from Mademoiselle Macaron, which turns out excellent French delicacies using their foolproof recipes. It comes equipped with an apron, spatula and recipe book for flawless mignon goodies.

6. NIO Cocktails Premixed Cocktail Box for Zen Lovers

Coming in at only £39 for 6 delicious premium classic cocktails in a designer box containing Negroni, Cosmopolitan, Old Fashioned,, Tommy's Margarita Cocktail, Gimlet Cocktail, Manhattan, this is an excellent party starter kit that goes down a treat with everyone. Save your host/ess the trouble of preparing drinks when you can bring them yourself! Arriving with a fully stocked home bar or premixed cocktail gift sets and some juicy news is just the thing to kick off a party.

7. Skincare Gift Box for Youtube Influencers

Gift an incredibly nourishing organic vegan skincare set from Botanicals to pamper your hostess with a selection of trial sizes in the Nourishing range, a great idea to try out and if they like them they can can go for the bundles such as the Nourishing Bundle, which will make their skin so soft, they’ll be offering tutorials on Tik Tok in no time. 

8. Mini Spice Mill for Spice Girls

Give them something they can use almost immediately if it’s a dinner party invitation.  Try these absolutely gorgeous artisanal spice or salt and pepper mills from Chiarugi in Florence. Chiarugi know a thing or two about design objects that are also functional having been in the business since 1952.  Each mill is crafted with that Made in Italy flair and the colours will blend in well with your host’s kitchen.

9. Eye-catching Coasters for Hosts who value their Tabletops

This set of four delicate agate coasters from Krsitalglobe on Etsy are works of art in themselves. Choose your colours based on the cocktails being served or just go for a random selection of four or six that guests will spend admiring every time they lift up their glass.

Gifts under £70

10. NIO Cocktails Experience Box for Cocktail Lovers

 

 

Try NIO Cocktails Experience Box, which comes with your choice of 6 premixed drinks, 2 beautiful cut-glass tumblers, and our XL square ice mould - all wrapped up in a stylish gift box. But even then, you might not be really sure about which cocktail boxes to order, that’s why we have this handy quiz you can take to help move along your choices. 

Gifts £70 and Over

11. Rustic Apron for Dreamers and Time Travellers

This natural cross-back linen Apron from The White Company will catapult  your host/ess straight to a Mediaeval kitchen with its natural ecru hue. Before you know it, she’ll be waxing lyrical about escaping the plague, grinding her own wheat

12. Cooking Class or Experience

If your host is a food enthusiast, consider giving them a cooking class or culinary experience. Nominated for the British Travel Awards 2023, Flavours Holidays gift an authentic Italian cookery course in Italy.  And if your host/ess is interested in learning Italian before they go, they can sign up for that online too. Meanwhile, the Chef & the Dish have live 2/2.5 hour cookery courses online if your host/ess would like to try their hand at the Italian classics without having to leave home at all.

 

13. The gift that gives

Let your gift make a difference, with 10 New Little Good Gifts from Good Gifts. Your £100 will go toward survival blankets, hot drinks for the homeless, milk for families, blanket and a teddy for children in a women's refuge, peanuts for undernourished children, 2 pairs of socks, a visit to the theatre, 30 school dinners, lentils for children in Africa, fresh fruit and vegetables.   

Impress them with great taste

We have every confidence that our  gift suggestions will genuinely impress and satisfy your host/ess and maybe even get other guests thinking. In the meantime,  if you’d like a fast and easy way to delight a host/ess who loves the idea of a bar-quality experience with classic cocktails but isn’t averse to moving out of their comfort zone, have a look at the NIO Cocktails menu and the great selection of gin gift sets available. Meanwhile,  for whiskey connoisseurs the whiskey gift sets, are a great solution for after-dinner luxury or Vodka Gift Sets for fans of delicious core and signature cocktails. 

 

 

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